A powerful new film for Channel 4 on the explosive issue of gang grooming will speak to the women at the heart of the problem. It was 21 years ago that Anna Hall was the first person to expose a pattern now known as gang grooming in her groundbreaking documentary Edge of the City. Now the director returns to the subject to make Groomed: A National Scandal. Five young women who have suffered grooming, rape and abuse, have put their trust in Anna Hall and her team to tell their stories, which are by turns harrowing and heartbreaking. Many are speaking about their abuse on camera for the first time.
Their stories expose failings by police and social services which span decades and show how children are still being let down to this day and this form of child sexual exploitation is still going on. Anna Hall, Director and Executive Producer, said: "This is a film that will shake the nation. It’s not just about retelling past horrors—it’s about showing that these patterns of abuse are still happening today. We trust our police and social services to protect victims, but this documentary will reveal the devastating truth of their ongoing failures.".
The film says it will go "beyond the headlines and the political rhetoric" to reveal how authorities have not only ignored victims, repeatedly and over decades, but, in some cases, criminalised the very people they should be protecting. It has been developed over three years and has been a year in production already. Shaminder, Head of Specialist Factual Commissioning, Channel 4 said: “This is an urgent and vital film that shines a light on a deeply troubling reality – decades after these scandals were first exposed, victims are still being failed by the very institutions meant to protect them. With Anna Hall’s meticulous investigative approach and the powerful testimonies of survivors and whistleblowers, Groomed: A National Scandal is a call to action. It’s a film that will challenge perceptions, demand accountability, and ensure these voices are finally heard.".
Through the powerful stories of survivors, combined with investigative journalism, historical context and archive, Groomed: A National Scandal is a film demanding that society doesn't look away. Channel 4 and the director say they hope is brings about accountability, justice, and meaningful change to protect children and support survivors. The 90-minute programme charts a 20-year narrative which painstakingly shows how different women’s stories mirror each other, how women who were groomed as children in towns and cities right across the UK are still fighting for justice, and exposes a system that remains unfit for purpose.
Anna Hall’s previous films for Channel 4 on gang grooming are Edge of the City (2004), The Hunt for Britain’s Sex Gangs (2011), Britain’s Sex Gangs (2013). Groomed: A National Scandal a 90 minute film will air later in 2025 on Channel 4. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads. Get the biggest TV headlines, recaps and insider knowledge straight to your inbox.
